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Friday, November 07, 2008

Just a Few Thoughts on Alternative Energy

Pickens has a plan consisting of using wind turbines for electricity and natural gas for transportation. He would like to line the Central flyway migratory path with wind turbines and has made no provision for green house gases caused by burning natural gas, another petrochemical. There is no infrastructure for moving the electricity around the nation.

All Gore wants to go solar. We will have huge solar panel arrays in the southwestern USA that would supply energy for us all. Problem is, the infrastructure does not exist to disperse this energy.

While any movement toward sustainable energy should be encouraged, I just wonder why there has to be ONE SOLUTION for alternative energy? When we have the technology to convert tires to biodiesel, make biofuel from blue-green algae or E coli, run cars on water, why do we need to lay more pipelines, establish a new electric grid, or disrupt wildlife migratory patterns?

Whatever we do, it should be done with an eye to mitigating global warming and minimizing ecological impacts. We should also diversify our fuel sources as much as possible. Maybe I am just paranoid, but one EMP exploded above our wind turbines and solar panels would wipe out our new energy sources and destroy our energy grid. Energy should be produced locally in all areas of the country.

We should stop and think about what we are doing BEFORE we do it. What do you think?

4 comments:

I agree that it is very confusing to which direction our country and the world would go to sustainability and renewable energy fuels without waste. The technology and innovation is all around us and it is fast moving to affordable existance. The problem is the oil companies are not yet ready to give up their profits. The oil companies have convinced the government to drill more to get more oil so that we don't have another gas price increase causing havoc in the world economy.The only way to defeat the oil companies and corrupt government is for all individuals as one unite and demand change.Send letters of action to everyone - congress, retailers, oil companies, gas stations demanding for alternative fuels that do not produce waste. Alternative energy without causing global warming and the loss of Earth and our existance.Bottom line is that the reason the direction is so confusing is that the change or tipping point is in resistance from the economic power of oil, so far...

I'm with you on this one. It seems that some of the folks are starting to realize that one type of energy production won't even suit our needs, never mind our sensibilities. I'm a proponent of each building or dwelling making use of more than one type of green energy, and conservation as well. We're already wired up to the existing grid, and many of the people who use alternative energy manage to produce more than they need and sell it back to the power company for part of the day. I don't see us getting off coal or oil for residential or business use 100% anytime soon, so I'd like to see a 20% solution brought up. Imagine that. Cut just 20% of our fossil fuel consumption in the next 15 years. Sounds a lot more reasonable to me. By the way, great blog, well written and researched. I'll be back often!

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